Banish

Review Time! Banish is the YA debut novel of Australian author, Nicola Marsh, I was actually part of the blog tour for Banish (you can check out my posts - HERE) and I read Banish so I can post my review up with the blog tour post, CLEARLY that didn't happen because I was too busy (and lazy) to write it but I'm sitting down today to write it! You can purchase a copy of Banish from Fishpond | Booktopia | The Nile | Bookworld. Thanks to HarlequinTeen for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit... and save her soul.

After her ex-boyfriend commits suicide and her mum’s alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen-year-old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt — a Wicca High Priestess.

Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan — a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.

But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan’s music clips — and she’s the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!

Alyssa doesn’t believe in the supernatural...despite her family’s Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it’s closer than she thinks?

The Short Story? - For me, Banish was little bit of a hit and miss. There were completely amazing parts and then parts that just fell flat. The plot was interesting however some parts were poorly executed and even though the book was a reasonably quick read, the pace was quite slow. However the characterisation was good, the backstory was interesting and the twist at the end - DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! A solid debut, I can't wait to see where the sequel takes us!

The Long Story? - I didn't exactly love this book but I can't say I didn't like it either. I liked the plot, it was interesting, the mystery aspect and the psychopath aspect really gave the book a killer punch (haha!). However I can't help but feel like the plot has been done before, it's a little bit of a supernatural cliche. Girl doesn't like magic, meets boy and falls in love, supernatural murderer on the loose, girl discovers her powers, embraces power. Marsh added her own touches but for me, it was a generic YA supernatural/paranormal plot. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it but I've read this kind of plot so any times, it's just not the kind of novel that will stick with me for a long time. That said, the ending was amazing, throughout the novel readers are left in the dark about how is this crazy psychopath and while I'm usually pretty good at picking out the hidden bad guys, I just couldn't get this one! Definitely wasn't one of the best plots I've read however the story was beautifully written!

The characterisation was good, like the plot, the protagonist was a little bit of a hit and miss as well. Sometimes she was badass and completely awesome however there were other parts of the novel in which she came off as whiny and a little bratty. Alyssa wasn't someone I could relate to therefore I couldn't really connect with her however I liked how Marsh gave her a backstory ( a pretty traumatising one at that) because it gave her a softer edge and opened me up to accepting her a little more. Ronan was a great character, I liked how Marsh stepped away from the typical popular, jock with a big heart stereotype for a love interest and instead picked an adorable, older and geeky one instead. It's more realistic and honestly, cute geeks are more appealing when you're addressing a bunch of book nerds right? I thought Alyssa and Ronan were really cute together, they had their rough patches but somehow they worked together. A good balanced love story!

In the end, would I recommend Banish to everyone? Yes I would however it definitely wouldn't be the first book I recommend. The series (at least I think it's a series, the ending suggest it is) definitely has potential and I can only see the quality of the story going up from here. It was a quick and enjoyable read, not as unique as I hoped it would be however stunning cover and a mind-blowing ending! Marsh's debut is a supernatural thriller with a killed edge, can't wait to see how Alyssa will grow as her adventures continue!

What's it Worth? - Squeeze Into the Budget

Badass Bookie xx